Tuesday, October 14, 2014

The Big Blue Marble Queer Literary Festival Starts Tonight!

Tuesday, October 14, - Sunday, October 19, 2014

Six days of fiction, memoir, photography, music, and more, celebrating the LGBTQ (or, more inclusively, QUILTBAG) community, from kids to teens to adults.

Tuesday, October 14

7:00 pm - Voices In and Out of the Closet
Reading with Sue Gilmore, author of The Peace Seeker: One Woman's Battle in the Church's War on Homosexuality, and Anne Balay, author of Steel Closets: Voices of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Steelworkers. One of the narrators from Steel Closets will be at the event to share his stories about working in a steel mill outside of Philadelphia.

Wednesday, October 15

7:00 pm - Queer Youth: Life & Literature
Rachelle Lee Smith, creator of the photographic essay Speaking OUT: Queer Youth in Focus, with Victoria Brownworth of Tiny Satchel Press.

Thursday, October 16

7:00 pm - Lesbian Lives, Lesbian Stories
Reading with Barbara Valletto, author of Pulse Points, Amy Schutzer, author of Spheres of Disturbance, and Anndee Hochman, author of Everyday Acts and Small Subversions.

Friday, October 17

7:00 pm - Trans Oral History Project
Join Big Blue Marble as we welcome local participants in the Trans Oral History Project! They'll be screening clips from the archive, talking about the project, and facilitating discussion about both the challenges and urgent necessity of recording community histories ourselves!
The Transgender Oral History Project is a community-driven effort to collect and share a diverse range of stories from within the transgender and gender variant communities. We accomplish this by promoting grassroots media projects, documenting trans people's experiences, maintaining a publicly accessible digital archive, and teaching media production skills.

Saturday, October 18

1:00 pm - Youth Voices for Change (for middle grades and up)
Student diversity trainers from Strath Haven High School will talk about their work and how it is changing school culture.

Come hear how student leaders at a suburban public high school are creating a positive school culture through an award-winning program called the Diversity Trainers. Students in grades 9 - 12 lead workshops for their peers in high school and middle school on issues of race, class, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation and more. Through activities, videos, and conversations, 150 high school facilitators teach 900 middle school students about understanding bias, awareness of stereotypes and bullying, developing sensitivity, and how to be an ally. Student leaders will share their personal experiences with the group and how you can implement this type of program in your school.
7:00 pm - Blood and Wine Tour
Join two of the country's hottest lesbian novelists as their tour blows through Philly. Erotica, desire, vampires, lust, want, and need - it'll be a Hot Saturday night at Big Blue Marble! Hosted by Mt. Airy's own Renee Bess.

Sunday, October 19

11:00 am - Great LGBTQ (or, more inclusively, QUILTBAG) books for kids and teens
A discussion with Big Blue Marble staffer Jennifer Sheffield.

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